Can you bring medication to Canada?

• Controlled medication

  allowed, within limits

  Under CBSA's Section 56 Class Exemption, travelers may personally carry (in person only -- not by mail or courier) a prescribed narcotic or Food and Drug Regulations Part G controlled drug up to the lesser of a single course of treatment or a 30-day supply, and a prescribed benzodiazepine/targeted substance up to the lesser of a single course of treatment or a 90-day supply. Opioids (codeine, oxycodone, tramadol) and stimulants (amphetamine, methylphenidate/Ritalin, lisdexamfetamine/Vyvanse) fall under the narcotic/Part-G 30-day limit; benzodiazepines (diazepam/Valium, alprazolam/Xanax, clonazepam/Klonopin) get the 90-day limit. Medication must be in pharmacy- or hospital-dispensed packaging with proper labelling, and must be declared to a CBSA officer at the border.

  No advance import permit is required for these amounts under the Class Exemption -- but it does not cover Annex I-listed substances unless separately approved by Health Canada or the source country's regulator, and it explicitly does not apply to shipping controlled substances by mail or courier, only carrying them in person.

  Also covers: controlled substance, narcotic, narcotic medication, psychotropic medication, amphetamine, adderall, vyvanse, lisdexamfetamine, ritalin, methylphenidate, xanax, alprazolam, valium, diazepam

  Checked 2026-09-13 — Source: Canada Border Services Agency -- Memorandum D19-9-2, Importation and Exportation of Controlled Substances and Precursors

• Injectable medication

  allowed, within limits

  GLP-1 drugs and insulin are ordinary (non-controlled) prescription drugs in Canada, so the general personal-use rule applies: a single course of treatment or a 90-day supply, whichever is less, hand-carried in original/clearly labelled pharmacy packaging. Health Canada's guidance separately states that medical devices imported for personal use -- which covers self-administered injection pens, syringes and needles -- are not restricted under the Food and Drugs Act or Medical Devices Regulations, provided the device doesn't require a trained operator, i.e. it's meant for the patient's own self-administration.

  This guidance document does not mention insulin, GLP-1 drugs, needles or syringes by name -- the 90-day rule is the same generic prescription-drug provision already used for the site's general prescription-medication-ca entry, and the needle/syringe treatment is inferred from the document's general 'medical devices for personal use' section, not a dedicated sharps policy. No refrigeration/cold-chain guidance was found on this source.

  Also covers: ozempic, wegovy, mounjaro, zepbound, semaglutide, tirzepatide, insulin, needles, syringes, injection pen, glp-1

  Checked 2026-09-13 — Source: Health Canada -- Personal Use Health Products Guidance

• Prescription medication

  allowed, within limits

  A 90-day supply, or a single course of treatment, whichever is less, in original or clearly labelled packaging

  Controlled substances must always be declared to the CBSA officer.

  Also covers: medication, prescription medicine, medicine, drugs (prescription)

  Checked 2026-08-10 — Source: Health Canada — Personal use health products guidance

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Informational only — not legal advice. Customs rules change; confirm with the official source above before you travel. See update history